Capital tunes!

The project: compile a playlist of top London-centric tunes.

The rules: 20 songs had to be about the capital city or mention it in some way, they had to be on my iPod*, and each artist could only appear once.

The result:

1. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
2. I Love London (In Flagrante Vintage Mix) - Crystal Fighters
3. London's Burning - The Clash**
4. Do the Strand - Roxy Music
5. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
6. London Loves - Blur
7. Signs - Snoop Dogg feat. Charlie Wilson and Justin Timberlake
8. Lola - The Kinks
9. London Town - Light of the World
   
10. Itchycoo Park - Small Faces
11. Man Out of Time - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
12. London Town (Foamo Remix) - Man Like Me
13. Cool for Cats - Squeeze
14. Old Smokey - Linda Lewis
15. Chelsea Girl - Ride
16. Strange Town - The Jam
17. My Old Man - Ian Dury
18. Sticks 'n' Stones - Jamie T
19. Charlotte Street - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
20. You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones

* Underworld's Born Slippy and London by The Smiths would've made the list were they not, inexplicably, missing from my MP3 player.
**This should be White Man (in Hammersmith Palais), but that track is another bewildering omission, iPod-wise.

Sole man

I couldn't sleep last night, so I tried counting shoes.

I mentally totted up the footwear I own. (Hey! It was late, and I was willing to try any silly bollocks to get some kip.)

For a fat, ugly bastard with no fashion sense, I sure gotta lotta sole:

• Trainers - 10 pairs
• Flip-flops - 4 pairs
• Smart shoes - 3 pairs
• Chelsea boots - 2 pairs
• Sandals - 2 pairs
• Worker boots - 1 pair
• Running shoes - 1 pair
• Wellies - 1 pair
  

Total - 24 pairs. (No, I don't feel like a girl.)

Albums of 2009

I was still buying 'em after Christmas, so I wasn't able to compile this nerdy list earlier. Even now, it's kinda vague.

Brilliant
Dark Touches – Har Mar Superstar
La Roux – La Roux
Post-Nothing – Japandroids

Very Good
Ciao! – Tiga
Cossus Snufsigalonica – Fear of Tigers
Duke Pandemonium – Marmaduke Duke
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Heart On – Eagles of Death Metal
It's Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Good
Born Like This – Doom
The Invisible – The Invisible
Kingdom of Rust – Doves
Kings and Queens - Jamie T
Sainthood – Tegan & Sara
Truelove's Gutter – Richard Hawley
Two Suns – Bat for Lashes
The xx - The xx

Not bad
Horehound – The Dead Weather
Journal for Plague Lovers – Manic Street Preachers
Manners – Passion Pit
Tongue N' Cheek – Dizzee Rascal

Poor
Further Complications – Jarvis Cocker

Tiny knobhead

On a late bus home last night some knobhead at the back was playing reggae at considerable volume.

I didn't risk a glance round at the culprit for fear of catching the eye of a nutter or surly piss-head - but I took a good look through the window after I'd alighted.

The music-blaring ignoramus turned out to be a tiny girl of about 13, who nervously returned my stare and then, as the bus pulled away, stuck out the tip of a timid, little tongue in my direction.